The Homestead girls basketball team was named as one of the eight teams to participate in the 2018 Raymond James Hall of Fame Classic, announced Monday.

The 2018 edition marks the 35th event for the girls and 42nd for the boys.

The Spartans will play Jeffersonville in the second morning game on Dec. 28 following the 11 a.m. match-up between Bedford North Lawrence and 2017-18 Class 3A state champion Northwestern.

Homestead played in the event in 2013 that resulted in a win over Rushville and loss to Bedford North Lawrence in the championship game.

With the personnel the Spartans have returning, graduating one senior, coach Rod Parker is excited for the opportunity to add the tournament to the team's schedule.

"They felt (with the returning players) we could be competitive," Parker said. "We'll work hard to get there. We feel like we belong in that event and we're excited to represent Homestead, our conference and northeast Indiana.

"New Castle's just a great facility. One of the things that was great five years ago, we just had really high-quality basketball games that were played similarly to a postseason game. It was neat, it's put on by a first-class organization. All the way from going down in advanced to the Hall of Fame and kids getting a lot of education about the history of Indiana basketball. It's a lot of fun. It was a fun day, it was set up a lot like a regional. It was like a regional. It'll be a neat experience."

In the boys tournament, to be played Dec. 29, Westview will take on Center Grove and Valparaiso faces 4A state champion Warren Central, who finished the 2017-18 season undefeated.